I don't really see as a problem. What happed in the video is quite common when you combine wrong string gauge (too light) + non "standard" tunning + pickup hight (too close to the strings). This is why you wrap a tape on the sides of the pickups or lower them...
I’ve been seeing this fucking amp everywhere, my local shop even got a couple, I just bought a Mark V and I’m really trying hard not to buy a DSL, these videos are continuously making it harder
i have the dsl40 version of this amp and it does everything from stoner doom, hard rock, black metal, thrash metal, and drone metal!! i highly recommend getting a dsl for anybody that is looking into a cheaper smaller tube amp
That's not as impressive as it sounds as almost all Marshalls will Thrash, and Stoner / Doom with a pedal. And I've not played an amp that won't black metal in my life 😂.
I always like how you show how things sound through different microphones. It gives a more broad understanding of how it something would sound if we had it.
Just bought this because of this demo and the lampchopper vids. Absolutely killer! Super versatile. You can get pretty much any kind of metal tone you want out of it. Insane value for money. Smokes amps thst cost 4 times as much!
Where do you play? Is it tolerable to play inside, say, basement? I knows that subjective but I don’t want my neighbors to hear it or ruin my own hearing
@@ChrisARC It sounds decent at bedroom levels but is asking to be turned up. Very manageable for a tube amp though. If you are worried, the DSL1 also rocks at lower levels.
@@Bieber2011Fever I’m worried that the DSL1 might not sound exactly the same. Obviously I need to play one but don’t necessarily have access to do that. Have you played the DSL1? My basement is quite large so bedroom levels might not be the limit for me, but I also don’t want to have my windows shaking.
@@ChrisARC Just go for the 20.. I had the DSL1 - and it was awesome - but ultimately, sometimes, I want to feel it in my chest and hopefully the neighbours aren't home. I upgraded. Both great amps though
@@Bieber2011Fever Haha I feel that. Did you think the sound was similar (other than the DSL20 moving major air)? Thanks for your input too man, I know no one with an amp even close to these.
@Zach Ball to be honest the whole "takes pedals well" thing is a lot of marketing nonsense sales people use to push certain amps. You can run good pedals into any amp that isn't garbage and get a good sound if you dial it in right. But for what it's worth yes, I've tried out all kinds of different pedals with it and I have yet to find one that sounds genuinely bad through it.
When the DSL20H came out I mixed a string of shows with a session player who used one of these and an iso cab. The tones were absolutely crushing. I was skeptical about the cheaper construction but the newer DSL amps are a real bargain for working guitar players. I'm a big fan of smaller, lower wattage amps with full-sized components, and I'm glad more manufacturers are starting to fill out that niche.
Ola, I have a model 1985, the 50 watt without master volume head. Jim Marshall once claimed it had the best tone of any amp they made and that's why I wanted one. It's not a metal amp for chugging. I play blues-rock through it. The tone is similar to what Clapton had with John Mayall on the Bluebreakers album. She is clean but hard! I enjoy your videos even though I'm not metal.
6:39 My first all tube amp was a DSL40 combo, had the prettiest cleans I'd ever heard in my life. This one sounds just like it, not surprised at all at how good this sounded.
WOW! I am super impressed. I am a Marshall fan boy, but didn't even give the DSL20 much consideration. Opinion changed! This amp head packs a wallop. Tons of tone. I wouldn't have expected such a tight sounding bass tones from it and that much gain. I might have to pick one of these up. It would make for a cool amp head if you were gigging a lot or doing a lot session work. It would be very easy to transport, easy to dial in and still get a solid sound from it. You are getting a lot of amp for that price. If someone was just starting out with their first tube amp, they could get this and they would be set. Awesome demonstration, Ola!
I have had this thing for 3-4 years now. I can tell you first hand that you can absolutely gig with this. Only issue I have is with switching clean to dirty gets a little pop That can be hard to overcome. It’s a volume knob ride thing.
The DSL/TSL were the first real Amps I played in the store back when I started with guitar. Especially the DSL is a great Amp, even though the switching and modes of the first generation was kinda limited.
@@FoundingFathers2.0 He always goes for a darker sound. Honestly I don't like his settings either the pickup in our Solar guitars is also too dark so I dial so much treble to counteract it.
@@FoundingFathers2.0 wouldn't that depend on the cab/speakers and even the rest of the eq settings? I bet using an eq pedal would work great for boosting the low end frequencies if it gets flubby the preamp eq.
I’m looking to get either the 1 or the 20…only for home use but really looking to get that ride the lightning tone…would the 1 watt be sufficient you think?
The string getting stuck on the pick-ups is that common? I've never seen it happen before in all my years of guitar experience (playing; videos etc). Is it a pickup thing?
@@JohnHenkamGangte It happens more commonly with floating tremolos (usually while dive-bombing). I've also had it happen on a hard-tail while strumming intensely on a lower tuning (C standard with .10's).
It's also why they put plastic covers with holes for pole pieces on Strat pickups and why Telecaster neck and PAF pickups have metal covers. Plain uncovered pickups is a trend thing started for estetic purposes that can sometimed trap strings and damage the coil wire (modern uncovered pickups have it protected with plastic tape tho).
I’ve got the DSL40 combo and it kicks ass, one of the best sounding amps I’ve ever heard for classic gain tones and metal, especially with a tube screamer hooked up to it. It’s great for some classic Metallica tones 👍🏼
I use DSL20 as a backup for my JVM and as a home-rehearsal amp. I love it so much that I took it to the studio and recorded guitar tracks mixing both - JVM and DSL20. Maaaan, how it sounds! Oh and I really like it's clean sound. Cheers!
@@ThatMFShawnzy well, DSL gives you more of a high-freq sound, than JVM. Check out J. D. Overdrive's "Funeral Celebration" album, If you'd like to hear how they sound together.
I'm happy to see Ola finally did a video on the DSL20. I've been looking at this amp for a while as my first amp head and haven't really liked any of the videos on it besides the ones Lambchopper did. Think I'm sold now.
Probably will. Granted, I don't have the money rn, but I'm gonna be getting one of these in the future. Where can you go wrong? It's a tube amp, under $1000, nice tone, and it will probably fit in your bedroom. Sounds great to me
I bought one of these today because of you! Great review. The solo sound was absolutely incredible. I need to listen again to see if you call out the affect.
I have been thinking about buying this amp, and you just pushed me over the ridge. Thanks for this and all your other videos, Ola! I really like how you demo things, in your own way.
what a coincidence. I was watching you testing marshall amps for the last couple of days on loop! I'm currently drooling over them, bcs i've started playing guitar about a year ago and I want a megadeth tone.
@@emikso6482 didn’t know your budget! But this amp is great for that tone as well! You can find some used Marshall’s for much less than 1900, they go as low as 800 $
@@brianmcalpine3948 right now i'm trying to sell my vox vt20x modeling combo for a marshal mg30gfx as that's all i can afford but as soon as i finish school in couple of months i really want the marshall jcm800, can't wait!
This is my amp! i got it 2 months ago with a harley benton cab. Really fucking great, paired with a metal muff boosting the mids with the drive at 0 and it's crazy tight.
Go watch Lambchpper's videos, he's been getting all sorts of insane tones out of it. Does Metallica tones a lot, just did the Kill Em All album tone with one, I believe. Well worth a watch. It's a very capable amp.
@@tacticalpotato5665 I mod and build tube amps for fun as electronics is one of my 'things' and pretty much decided that I may as well also build myself a DSL20 (alongside the 'classic' 50s style amp in an amazing old metal 40s/50s radio chassis :D amps like that are hard to find and insane in price in the UK compared to the US so yknow) as well as what I'm already messing around with after I watched the ride the lightning video haha Also turning my JCM2000 DSL into having two channels from a modern JMP instead because why not, that 2000 required extensive repairs when I got it anyway so bugger it...mostly I just can't leave anything alone. But nah, the DSL20 is a bloody fantastic little amp! Amazing what sorta tones you can get out of it by adding an EQ pedal
Right on dude! I had a Marshall Haze 15 head for many years that was the precursor to these DSL mini Marshalls. Bought it when it first came out in 09, and It was 15 watts from two 6V6s. Just an awesome rock amp. Not as much gain as the DSLs, but pushed with a tube screamer it could get these tones. I gigged with it plenty and could turn it all the way up and get the power tubes really cooking without the sound guy having a total conniption haha! They were under appreciated IMO. I’d run it dual-mono with a Krank Rev Jr Pro (The 50 watt), that I picked up after seeing your demo of it. LONG time ago! Killer grab n’ go setup that gave me four channels to work with, and could run all sorts of ways with an ABY switch. Always enjoy your videos dude, cheers from California!
You should do more clean playing in your reviews. Your chugs are iconic good sir, but you have a particular style in your clean that is fairly intriguing. 🤘🏻
The fact is that I never have found even in super boutique amps, the creamy and punchy mids in your face that modern Marshalls have, especially great for picking techniques, I speak about DSL or JVM or JCM900
I own a mini stack with this amp, and I can tell you first hand, it absolutely kicks ass, takes to pedals amazingly well, and sounds fantastic at any level of power or volume. WELL WORTH THE MONEY!!!!
Glad to see some love for the DSL series from a metal player! I have the 5-watt combo and love it, hoping to upgrade to the 20 when I get my own place. With an OD in front this amp is just killer for the price.
Very cool, Marshall are weirdly (for how famous they are) the ‘sleeper’ brand for high gain. Would be interested to hear it through a more modern cab like the Mesa at some point.
I have the combo version of the DSL20. I like it a lot.. even better when I bypass the speaker & use a mini Mesa Rec cab with a vintage 30 in it. I also have a Mesa Rectoverb 25 head & a couple of mini cabs that I use as my main amp with the DSL20 used as my practice amp. However.. they are actually both awesome! 🎸🎛🎛
I bought a DSL100HR which was a bargain from Sweetwater, but is on back order. Then I saw this amp. I know big amps like to be pushed, this is for home use through Marshall 4x12 cabs. Still thinking…. But Ola liking something carries weight with me.
I have the 40 watt combo version and I could not recommend it enough, I like to put a tube screamer in the front using it as a compressor and it makes it sound much heavier and gives it a better chug on the high gain stuff
and just like that- 2:07 That noise is now your song intro or a cool pre chorus thing, those are kind of the cool idiosyncrasies or "mistakes" from using a magic piece of gear that can really take your song from boring to interesting when put in the right place with a little editing magic
@@trefwoordpunk2225 a boosted Marshall JCM800 is definitely a sound and Ola has several demos of boosted Marshalls. And they are dope as hell. Would have been good to demonstrate both a straight amp sound and a boosted one.
Ola,I'm glad I saw this video..I was wondering about this DSL 20 head..I have to admit I like a lot of low-end in my sound,so seeing and hearing you talk about it was good info and maybe helping me on my decision on buying one. I do have the EVH LBX Stealth 15 watt head and with its resonance knob around back I get lots of low-end out of these EL-84's.. I haven't had a Marshall amp in 20+ years so I might still buy one of these and just bump up the lows with my 10 band eq pedal. Thanks for the video demo !
Had the combo version of this and didn't get on with it at all, even after putting a greenback in it. Fizzy gain and just seemed to lack premium tones in all areas. Have a mini jubilee 2525c 1x12 now and it is just so so so good compared to the DSL.
I have 3 amps I alternate between, which means it may be a month or so between firing one up. I notice that my DSL20 head tends to sound fizzy when first turned on after long periods of non use. After about a half hour it settles in and chugs bigly. I think its just it's nature. It likes hot, well used tubes.
This is why combos should have an external speaker jack. My 25 year old solid-state Fender Bronco does, and through a speaker box it sounds like a terrific amp.
I recently got a dsl20cr combo to play at home because my peavey classic 50 2/12 is gotten too heavy on my bad back I put ultra gain on 11:00 with volumn at 10:00 to 3:00. It WILL ring your ear with that single 12 speaker. I have 4 good reason to love this amp. 1 Billy Gibbon (early 70s) 2 Jimmy Page 3 Manny Charlton 4 Gary Rossington. No pedals just crank the tubes. This amp has great distortion for Classic rock. It seems to be more expressive and dynamic then my Peavey. The Peavey classic 50 has a clean that turns up into crisp ringing guitar (490 and 498 ) pickup. The peavey classic 50s lead channel does not have as much tube distortion but it sound good very loud .I do not use pedals. I do not need then in my style .I've got the best both worlds clean and overdrive.
Back in the day I had 2 guitars; a squire strat with a bad input, and an ovation acoustic I borrowed long term from a friend. The ovation I would tune to drop D and plug into an old peavy combo and aside from the feedback noise it didn’t do half bad on high gain tones. Something like a noise gate or suppression in the way would have certainly helped but it chugged at least.
Right, the full size EL-34 tubes are what sold me on this amp too. Bought it and like it. But still prefer my DSL-100 for fullness and depth. But the DSL-20 is great for practices where volume needs to be lower.
I have both of them, very different amps. with the prs you're basically getting a mesa/bogner hybrid in a small package. with the dsl its more of a small jcm2000. needless to say both are amazing in their respected category.
Most EL84 “lunchbox” amps I have played/owned have a choked or muffled feel and just lack the girth and openness of a bigger amp. I have steered clear of most for that reason. Good to see more amp makers “going big” with their small amps!! 🤘🤘🤘
Someone else below mentioned the Revv G20 as their favorite, and it is also my favorite lower wattage amp. But it ain't $500. This amp is a hell of a deal.
Affordable gear these days is just god-like, I mean, this thing is literally just a shrunk down JCM2000 and they're selling it for 500 dollars, what in the actual fuck.
@@joeyvanostrand3655 Exactly man. Hell even the so called "beginner guitars" are just wicked good these days, just bought a Squier Mustang for 120 bucks the other day just for the fuck of it and it's sooooo good. If you would've bought something in that price range in the late 90s you would've got something that is barely playable and sounds like microphonic diarrhea.
@@iwilrage And I'd like to politely disagree with your disagreement, we've got so much good stuff being put out right now for basically next to nothing, if there was ever a time to get into playing guitar or be a guitar player period then this is it, the new gear is very affordable and kicks ass.
@@iwilrage Not sure too, but i remember back in those days every store had jcm2000s and also 6505s (because in that time came out) and people who had the chance to compare them the 6505 always won and the dsl/tsl range got somehow lost in the marketing. Or maybe its just a trend and people realized that the gain and saturation of the dsl/tsl range is plenty enough even for live usage to play metal.
Marshall DSL20. Least expensive AND good tube amplifier?
Yeah but what about cabinet and good speakers? I have DSL15 combo which is just fine for home
I love mine, sold my 6505 mh after 2 years
This head EQ’s nice with non Marshall cabs too - PV 5150 4x12 with a Mesa 2x12 or 5150 III 2x12
I love my dsl 40. Throw and OD and boom
I like DSL series..tone reminds me of JCM scaled down a little.
I see a lot of love for LambChopper in this comment section. He truly deserves the recognition.
Was just watching him before this
@@matthewhaugh2489 he’s my next stop😂
@@matthewhaugh2489 same he’s a beast
Dudes awesome. His Ride the Lightning video was spot on.
@dubster82
Watched his Rust In Peace tone video. Awesomeness
Neck pickup: "exists"
Low e string: hug me brotha
Drake and Josh Lmao
😂😂😂
Sorry to ear this amp is sick, I hope it gets better soon.
If it passes away it could be burried here in my backyard, no prob
😂
But if it gets better, it won't sound sick at all... Please, stop this, you're breaking my heart!!! 😭😭😭
*hear*
Shame it didn't get vaccination.
I love how Ola is the type of guy that would have a problem with his own brand of guitar and still just leave it in the video 😂🤘🏻
Steve Vai wraps tape around the sides of his neck pickups, of course it's not his brand, but still he's open about those situations (stuck strings).
I don't really see as a problem. What happed in the video is quite common when you combine wrong string gauge (too light) + non "standard" tunning + pickup hight (too close to the strings). This is why you wrap a tape on the sides of the pickups or lower them...
Exactly! Swesome dude!
@@gregdjentyguy9986 dime used to do that too
Yes not good for Solar Guitars but Ola got the balls to release this video. Thumbs up!
Lambchopper is a genius with this amp.
The DSL Series by Marshall are the most amazing pieces of music technology ever released.
I really want Ola to check out the Marshall DSL100HR for us. I wanna play some Maiden, will it chug !?
@@mathias6423 Oh it chugs! Great amp.
@@syopalisake2066 Great to hear, I have heard it some more. Seems really good for the money.
@@cmurphy0707 No.
This morning Lambchopper678 made a Kill Em All tone video and like 3h later, Ola's video.
PLEASE DO NOT ANSWER TO GEAR ACQUISITION SYNDROME CALL....
I was just watching that video and I think my phone is ringing
Just bought one😩 it's a long term illness
Get one, you will never regret it.
I’ve been seeing this fucking amp everywhere, my local shop even got a couple, I just bought a Mark V and I’m really trying hard not to buy a DSL, these videos are continuously making it harder
@@axlej11 my mark b 25 is currently being delivered, and now i want the dsl too.
i have the dsl40 version of this amp and it does everything from stoner doom, hard rock, black metal, thrash metal, and drone metal!! i highly recommend getting a dsl for anybody that is looking into a cheaper smaller tube amp
How’s the clean and blues tones
@@davidlawrence701 not bad. Sounds great with my Strat
I have the dsl20cr, what pedals are you using to get a variety of heavy tones?
That's not as impressive as it sounds as almost all Marshalls will Thrash, and Stoner / Doom with a pedal. And I've not played an amp that won't black metal in my life 😂.
There it is! The LambChopper classic, he's a beast.
Love how it doesn‘t sound overly „produced“ like all these modern high gain amps
And thats because it isnt trying to hard to be a modern high gain amp, its just another marshall. Just great.
Yep, it's a Marshall!
Sounds mean as fook!
Bingo
Marshalls always seemed to be a bit grittier and nastier than most.
I always like how you show how things sound through different microphones. It gives a more broad understanding of how it something would sound if we had it.
Just bought this because of this demo and the lampchopper vids. Absolutely killer! Super versatile. You can get pretty much any kind of metal tone you want out of it. Insane value for money. Smokes amps thst cost 4 times as much!
Mate would this be a great amp for punk rock as um really interested on it, through a 412 of course
@73prd absolutely dude! Especially with a sd1 in front to make it extra aggressive
@@shredaintdead9323 oh awesome man I'll be running v30 speakers too so, thanks so much and have a top day mate
I run an OD into the front and EQ in FX loop and this amp fucking slays.
Where do you play? Is it tolerable to play inside, say, basement? I knows that subjective but I don’t want my neighbors to hear it or ruin my own hearing
@@ChrisARC It sounds decent at bedroom levels but is asking to be turned up. Very manageable for a tube amp though. If you are worried, the DSL1 also rocks at lower levels.
@@Bieber2011Fever I’m worried that the DSL1 might not sound exactly the same. Obviously I need to play one but don’t necessarily have access to do that. Have you played the DSL1? My basement is quite large so bedroom levels might not be the limit for me, but I also don’t want to have my windows shaking.
@@ChrisARC Just go for the 20.. I had the DSL1 - and it was awesome - but ultimately, sometimes, I want to feel it in my chest and hopefully the neighbours aren't home. I upgraded. Both great amps though
@@Bieber2011Fever Haha I feel that. Did you think the sound was similar (other than the DSL20 moving major air)? Thanks for your input too man, I know no one with an amp even close to these.
The DSL series is sick. I have the 40w combo and that thing does everything from crunchy Plexi tones to crazy high gain metal stuff.
@Zach Ball to be honest the whole "takes pedals well" thing is a lot of marketing nonsense sales people use to push certain amps. You can run good pedals into any amp that isn't garbage and get a good sound if you dial it in right. But for what it's worth yes, I've tried out all kinds of different pedals with it and I have yet to find one that sounds genuinely bad through it.
I have one too it kicks ass
When the DSL20H came out I mixed a string of shows with a session player who used one of these and an iso cab. The tones were absolutely crushing. I was skeptical about the cheaper construction but the newer DSL amps are a real bargain for working guitar players. I'm a big fan of smaller, lower wattage amps with full-sized components, and I'm glad more manufacturers are starting to fill out that niche.
yea this amp really kept them in the game, still is
Ola, I have a model 1985, the 50 watt without master volume head. Jim Marshall once claimed it had the best tone of any amp they made and that's why I wanted one. It's not a metal amp for chugging. I play blues-rock through it. The tone is similar to what Clapton had with John Mayall on the Bluebreakers album. She is clean but hard! I enjoy your videos even though I'm not metal.
I knew it was gonna be appreciated since even lambchopper does use it alot and he gets great tones out of it.
Yep. Ola pretty much sold this amp for me. I loved the DSL50 so here we go!
6:39 My first all tube amp was a DSL40 combo, had the prettiest cleans I'd ever heard in my life. This one sounds just like it, not surprised at all at how good this sounded.
I’ve had my JCM2000 TSL for ten years now, best amp I ever played. I am glad the guitar gods also approve. 👍🤘
I wish every one of these "In the Room" videos featured an HM-2 in front of the amp at the end.
I like that Ola is finally finding a bit of a "taste" for Marshalls
WOW! I am super impressed. I am a Marshall fan boy, but didn't even give the DSL20 much consideration. Opinion changed! This amp head packs a wallop. Tons of tone. I wouldn't have expected such a tight sounding bass tones from it and that much gain. I might have to pick one of these up. It would make for a cool amp head if you were gigging a lot or doing a lot session work. It would be very easy to transport, easy to dial in and still get a solid sound from it. You are getting a lot of amp for that price. If someone was just starting out with their first tube amp, they could get this and they would be set. Awesome demonstration, Ola!
I have had this thing for 3-4 years now. I can tell you first hand that you can absolutely gig with this. Only issue I have is with switching clean to dirty gets a little pop That can be hard to overcome. It’s a volume knob ride thing.
I use this exact model with the Marshall Mx 2x12 cab, sounds killer
Me too. I exchanged the speakers for Warehouse guitar speakers 1xReaper, 1xVeteran30
My Dsl1 and MX112 will be here this week. Been waiting over a month for sweetwater to get them in.
@@vinceruland9236 me too! My rep called today and the amp and cab are on the way!
@@woodyirvin6826 same here. Pretty stoked
This is a great advert for the Shure SM58. Every guitarist/singer should have one.
I have a DSL40C combo amp, the idea of these DSL heads really intrigues me.
The DSL/TSL were the first real Amps I played in the store back when I started with guitar. Especially the DSL is a great Amp, even though the switching and modes of the first generation was kinda limited.
I’ve owned this amp for a couple years now and I still love it, this sucker gets loud if you let er.
The question "will it chug" need not be asked.
Up
True
@@FoundingFathers2.0 He always goes for a darker sound. Honestly I don't like his settings either the pickup in our Solar guitars is also too dark so I dial so much treble to counteract it.
@@FoundingFathers2.0 wouldn't that depend on the cab/speakers and even the rest of the eq settings? I bet using an eq pedal would work great for boosting the low end frequencies if it gets flubby the preamp eq.
lambchopper 678 does good videos on the Metallica tones of this amp.
Loving these smaller wattage Marshalls. I have the little one watt combo. I did some tube changes and it really brought it to life.
I’m looking to get either the 1 or the 20…only for home use but really looking to get that ride the lightning tone…would the 1 watt be sufficient you think?
And that's why Dimebag put tape on the sides of his neck pickup, boys and girls.
Yup!
The string getting stuck on the pick-ups is that common?
I've never seen it happen before in all my years of guitar experience (playing; videos etc).
Is it a pickup thing?
@@JohnHenkamGangte It happens more commonly with floating tremolos (usually while dive-bombing). I've also had it happen on a hard-tail while strumming intensely on a lower tuning (C standard with .10's).
It's also why they put plastic covers with holes for pole pieces on Strat pickups and why Telecaster neck and PAF pickups have metal covers. Plain uncovered pickups is a trend thing started for estetic purposes that can sometimed trap strings and damage the coil wire (modern uncovered pickups have it protected with plastic tape tho).
He didn’t use tape when he had an L-500R in the neck,😉
The DSL series has --'that sound'-- to anyone who grew up listening to 80's & 90's hard rock & metal
yeah i struggled to get that sound with my DSL. sold it.
@Bigmanbam44 you heard it here folks.
@Bigmanbam44 yeh.... its at least double the cost
@Bigmanbam44 I disagree completely
I’ve got the DSL40 combo and it kicks ass, one of the best sounding amps I’ve ever heard for classic gain tones and metal, especially with a tube screamer hooked up to it. It’s great for some classic Metallica tones 👍🏼
Scew tube screamers amp sounds best on its own
Not really… slayer and Metallica are a testament of that…
I’m definitely going to buy the 100w model
I have had some big and expensive amps but the one I've enjoyed most is my DSL20 combo with a creamback speaker.
Finally! a video over my personal favorite amp i’ve ever owned.
I'm a mesa mark series fan boy, but a good Marshall sound just can't be denied.
DSL's are SO underrated !!! The 50th anniversary JCM 2000 and all the other JCM 2000s, even up to the 100W, are all AWESOME !!!
I use DSL20 as a backup for my JVM and as a home-rehearsal amp. I love it so much that I took it to the studio and recorded guitar tracks mixing both - JVM and DSL20. Maaaan, how it sounds! Oh and I really like it's clean sound. Cheers!
How do those sound stacked up against each other? The JVM is a dream amp of mine but I like the size of this DSL HAHA
@@ThatMFShawnzy well, DSL gives you more of a high-freq sound, than JVM. Check out J. D. Overdrive's "Funeral Celebration" album, If you'd like to hear how they sound together.
I'd usually skip the clean channels but damn, that's the best combo of sparking, beefy and detailed for a clean tone.
I *KNOW* it's a common sound, I *know* it is on 1 gazillion records but there is just something to this marshall gain profile that is just right.
It's like hearing the good ol' Presicion Bass on the record, never gets old
Agreed. Something in the way it saturates just feels so right and responsive.
marshall sounds like shit compared so mesa
Mesa is another brand you’ve heard on a gazillion records lmao
Marshall’s haven’t really been on too many metal records since the early 90’s, with the advent of the Peavey 5150 and the Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier.
I'm happy to see Ola finally did a video on the DSL20. I've been looking at this amp for a while as my first amp head and haven't really liked any of the videos on it besides the ones Lambchopper did. Think I'm sold now.
This video alone will increase sales in Marshall Amplifiers
Probably will. Granted, I don't have the money rn, but I'm gonna be getting one of these in the future. Where can you go wrong? It's a tube amp, under $1000, nice tone, and it will probably fit in your bedroom. Sounds great to me
I own one of those for about a year and a half and it's been only joy and rock n' roll since then
there's a reason why it is the most iconic amp in rock/metal history.
I bought one of these today because of you! Great review. The solo sound was absolutely incredible. I need to listen again to see if you call out the affect.
6:38 to 7:12 sounds soooo good, especially 6:53 to 7:02, that’s just gorgeous. Nice Ola, really nice. Kinda reminds me of Alex Lifeson.
2112 Discovery is the vibe I got
@@garytackett8426 Agreed.
I have been thinking about buying this amp, and you just pushed me over the ridge. Thanks for this and all your other videos, Ola! I really like how you demo things, in your own way.
what a coincidence. I was watching you testing marshall amps for the last couple of days on loop! I'm currently drooling over them, bcs i've started playing guitar about a year ago and I want a megadeth tone.
Jcm 800 223
@@brianmcalpine3948 yeah, 1900USD amp is the obvious. It's what DM uses. But a bit impossible to acquire for a student
@@emikso6482 didn’t know your budget! But this amp is great for that tone as well! You can find some used Marshall’s for much less than 1900, they go as low as 800 $
@@brianmcalpine3948 right now i'm trying to sell my vox vt20x modeling combo for a marshal mg30gfx as that's all i can afford but as soon as i finish school in couple of months i really want the marshall jcm800, can't wait!
Bought the dsl 40cr last month, haven’t seen sunshine since. Awesome amp
This is my amp! i got it 2 months ago with a harley benton cab. Really fucking great, paired with a metal muff boosting the mids with the drive at 0 and it's crazy tight.
Never tried using the Metal muff as Boost. Always felt like the Sound it gave had to much fizz. Drive 0 mids 3 o'clock or Something, Lo/Hi at noon?
Is it too loud for home use with gain sound?
That fretboard is gorgeous!
I wanted an attainable amp for both Metallica and ac/dc. I think this is it.
Exactly my thoughts.
Go watch Lambchpper's videos, he's been getting all sorts of insane tones out of it. Does Metallica tones a lot, just did the Kill Em All album tone with one, I believe. Well worth a watch. It's a very capable amp.
@@nicwilson89 his channel is awesome. The one he did on ride the lightnin was brilliant. I really want one and hope that I can find a good one used.
@@tacticalpotato5665 I mod and build tube amps for fun as electronics is one of my 'things' and pretty much decided that I may as well also build myself a DSL20 (alongside the 'classic' 50s style amp in an amazing old metal 40s/50s radio chassis :D amps like that are hard to find and insane in price in the UK compared to the US so yknow) as well as what I'm already messing around with after I watched the ride the lightning video haha
Also turning my JCM2000 DSL into having two channels from a modern JMP instead because why not, that 2000 required extensive repairs when I got it anyway so bugger it...mostly I just can't leave anything alone.
But nah, the DSL20 is a bloody fantastic little amp! Amazing what sorta tones you can get out of it by adding an EQ pedal
@@nicwilson89 you can build Amps right!?
Build a jcm 800 20 watt with 6v6 tubes like some of those rare Marshall DSL. With 6V6
Modded DSL40CR head all day!
Usually it's a boomer playing blues riffs on a metal amp but here the reverse is occurring lol
I have the 5w version of this and I can't express how much I love this little amp...
The 1x10?
@@Disabledguitarist1985 yes
Ola why can't you post the settings used for the video 😢 Hard to see what you have settings dailed to Just Saying
Right on dude! I had a Marshall Haze 15 head for many years that was the precursor to these DSL mini Marshalls. Bought it when it first came out in 09, and It was 15 watts from two 6V6s. Just an awesome rock amp. Not as much gain as the DSLs, but pushed with a tube screamer it could get these tones. I gigged with it plenty and could turn it all the way up and get the power tubes really cooking without the sound guy having a total conniption haha! They were under appreciated IMO. I’d run it dual-mono with a Krank Rev Jr Pro (The 50 watt), that I picked up after seeing your demo of it. LONG time ago! Killer grab n’ go setup that gave me four channels to work with, and could run all sorts of ways with an ABY switch. Always enjoy your videos dude, cheers from California!
You should do more clean playing in your reviews. Your chugs are iconic good sir, but you have a particular style in your clean that is fairly intriguing.
🤘🏻
2nd that!
Cathode bias = sustain at any volume and gain level. Love it.
The fact is that I never have found even in super boutique amps, the creamy and punchy mids in your face that modern Marshalls have, especially great for picking techniques, I speak about DSL or JVM or JCM900
The peavey 5150 is the standard for that tone
I own a mini stack with this amp, and I can tell you first hand, it absolutely kicks ass, takes to pedals amazingly well, and sounds fantastic at any level of power or volume. WELL WORTH THE MONEY!!!!
I’m torn between this or the one watt version… it’ll be for home use only… what do you recommend? Going for that 80’s Metallica sound
I have this amp. The last real amp I will "need" to buy.
Play thru my 1987 silver jubilee Marshall 50/100 watt head thru a Carwin cab.
Is it loud enough to keep up with drums?
@@stepitupandgo67 through a good closed back 2x12 it would be great for jamming, haven't tried one but 20 watts of tube is loud mate
@@stepitupandgo67 you'd gig with it no problem too, get the PA going and you're all good
@@stepitupandgo67 I also run mine through a 2x12 closed back, and it's great for jamming 👌
Glad to see some love for the DSL series from a metal player! I have the 5-watt combo and love it, hoping to upgrade to the 20 when I get my own place. With an OD in front this amp is just killer for the price.
You should get some Ceriatone amps Ola, they crush for the money.
I love my DSL20. Great for playing at home.
Very cool, Marshall are weirdly (for how famous they are) the ‘sleeper’ brand for high gain. Would be interested to hear it through a more modern cab like the Mesa at some point.
It's crushing on a Recto cab. I have a DSL20 and a Recto cab and I use it for rehearsals. Fantastic pairing.
Far from a “sleeper” for high gain
Lol. Only the select few are aware?
I have the combo version of the DSL20. I like it a lot.. even better when I bypass the speaker & use a mini Mesa Rec cab with a vintage 30 in it. I also have a Mesa Rectoverb 25 head & a couple of mini cabs that I use as my main amp with the DSL20 used as my practice amp. However.. they are actually both awesome!
🎸🎛🎛
I bought a DSL100HR which was a bargain from Sweetwater, but is on back order. Then I saw this amp. I know big amps like to be pushed, this is for home use through Marshall 4x12 cabs. Still thinking…. But Ola liking something carries weight with me.
I have the 40 watt combo version and I could not recommend it enough, I like to put a tube screamer in the front using it as a compressor and it makes it sound much heavier and gives it a better chug on the high gain stuff
I bought this amp and LOVE IT! It can do no wrong. I have its big brother too, frankly the 20 sets the bar
i have the dsl 40, best fucking purchase ever
and just like that- 2:07
That noise is now your song intro or a cool pre chorus thing, those are kind of the cool idiosyncrasies or "mistakes" from using a magic piece of gear that can really take your song from boring to interesting when put in the right place with a little editing magic
I got my DSL20 3 months ago and I really love it! Even with low volumes at home it sounds great, especially considering the price of this amp!
What cabinet are you using if I may ask?
@@rustycage- I'm using a 1x12 with a Celestion Vintage 30 at home
@@rustycage- i use marshall mx212ar 2x12 cab with celestion 70/80. Would definitely recommend
Is is too loud for bedroom use on 10w setting? How many decibels is it when you get a good gain sound with it?
Own the combo, fantastic Amp, great video as always Ola!
"Yeah, there's brillant clean channel you know... but anyway, let's go back to gain !"
Your DSL 1 video made me decide for the 20 watt version. I cant be happier with It now
I am kinda bummed Ola didn’t put an overdrive in front of that amp.
It's against the law to do that to a Marshall. Although I'm surprised he didn't fuck about with shit in the FX return....
@@trefwoordpunk2225 they are among the most boosted amps mah dude
@@trefwoordpunk2225 a boosted Marshall JCM800 is definitely a sound and Ola has several demos of boosted Marshalls. And they are dope as hell. Would have been good to demonstrate both a straight amp sound and a boosted one.
Ola,I'm glad I saw this video..I was wondering about this DSL 20 head..I have to admit I like a lot of low-end in my sound,so seeing and hearing you talk about it was good info and maybe helping me on my decision on buying one.
I do have the EVH LBX Stealth 15 watt head and with its resonance knob around back I get lots of low-end out of these EL-84's.. I haven't had a Marshall amp in 20+ years so I might still buy one of these and just bump up the lows with my 10 band eq pedal. Thanks for the video demo !
Had the combo version of this and didn't get on with it at all, even after putting a greenback in it. Fizzy gain and just seemed to lack premium tones in all areas. Have a mini jubilee 2525c 1x12 now and it is just so so so good compared to the DSL.
I have 3 amps I alternate between, which means it may be a month or so between firing one up.
I notice that my DSL20 head tends to sound fizzy when first turned on after long periods of non use. After about a half hour it settles in and chugs bigly.
I think its just it's nature. It likes hot, well used tubes.
This is why combos should have an external speaker jack. My 25 year old solid-state Fender Bronco does, and through a speaker box it sounds like a terrific amp.
Got this little guy on order, can't wait.
"Whatzup everyone and welcome to Ola's testing (prrrrrrgh - Sound)" :-D
Okay.. I'm ready to listen to every word Ola speaks!
I recently got a dsl20cr combo to play at home because my peavey classic 50 2/12 is gotten too heavy on my bad back
I put ultra gain on 11:00 with volumn at 10:00 to 3:00. It WILL ring your ear with that single 12 speaker. I have 4 good reason to love this amp. 1 Billy Gibbon (early 70s) 2 Jimmy Page 3 Manny Charlton 4 Gary Rossington. No pedals just crank the tubes. This amp has great distortion for Classic rock. It seems to be more expressive and dynamic then my Peavey. The Peavey classic 50 has a clean that turns up into crisp ringing guitar (490 and 498 ) pickup. The peavey classic 50s lead channel does not have as much tube distortion but it sound good very loud
.I do not use pedals. I do not need then in my style
.I've got the best both worlds clean and overdrive.
I wanna see a "will it chug" with an acoustic guitar
Isn't Fender releasing a more affordable version of the Acoustasonic? That could be cool.
Back in the day I had 2 guitars; a squire strat with a bad input, and an ovation acoustic I borrowed long term from a friend. The ovation I would tune to drop D and plug into an old peavy combo and aside from the feedback noise it didn’t do half bad on high gain tones. Something like a noise gate or suppression in the way would have certainly helped but it chugged at least.
Michael Hedges already did that nearly 4 decades ago.
Right, the full size EL-34 tubes are what sold me on this amp too. Bought it and like it. But still prefer my DSL-100 for fullness and depth. But the DSL-20 is great for practices where volume needs to be lower.
Killer riffing! 😀👍🏻
Im getting PRS MT15 vibes, smaller amps with big tubes = big tones \m/
I have both of them, very different amps. with the prs you're basically getting a mesa/bogner hybrid in a small package. with the dsl its more of a small jcm2000. needless to say both are amazing in their respected category.
@@Tyegud I have a MT15 aswell. and I like jcm2000 so i guess i need one of those aswell haha.
@Mich Drib Not where im from. I got my MT15 for 450 and the DSL20 are 408 here so its almost the same for me.
@@GoudVis56667 “one more amp” can never hurt haha
Most EL84 “lunchbox” amps I have played/owned have a choked or muffled feel and just lack the girth and openness of a bigger amp. I have steered clear of most for that reason. Good to see more amp makers “going big” with their small amps!! 🤘🤘🤘
i play the guitar for over 30 years.........never saw something like this 3:12
Someone else below mentioned the Revv G20 as their favorite, and it is also my favorite lower wattage amp. But it ain't $500. This amp is a hell of a deal.
sounds like its match made in heaven to play CoB
That blend array is awesome.
Affordable gear these days is just god-like, I mean, this thing is literally just a shrunk down JCM2000 and they're selling it for 500 dollars, what in the actual fuck.
It's the golden age for us. 20 years ago a guitar that sold for $1000 is today $399.
@@joeyvanostrand3655 Try buying a Rickenbacker with toasters.
@@joeyvanostrand3655 Exactly man. Hell even the so called "beginner guitars" are just wicked good these days, just bought a Squier Mustang for 120 bucks the other day just for the fuck of it and it's sooooo good. If you would've bought something in that price range in the late 90s you would've got something that is barely playable and sounds like microphonic diarrhea.
I disagree....shits out of control expensive....with good values here and there..
@@iwilrage And I'd like to politely disagree with your disagreement, we've got so much good stuff being put out right now for basically next to nothing, if there was ever a time to get into playing guitar or be a guitar player period then this is it, the new gear is very affordable and kicks ass.
I love your EVH Red Stripped Series behind you! This is a killer guitar for its price.
I think a tube screamer would absolutely push this amp over the top with a hot Duncan or EMGs.
No doubt! I played through this at the shop with a Lace Deathbucker and Alumitone and I'm pretty sure my sternum was rattling
EMG 85 in a Les Paul Bridge position with a Klon style OD.
BRUTAL!
Great vid and demo. I brought one of these a few weeks back and its awesome. Great value for money too
I remember 15y ago that nobody liked the DSL/TSL range because it wasnt sounding metal enough... now people are buying them like crazy.
Maybe because they have improved
True....not sure i like them still....BUT put them on clean add effects....boom done.
@@iwilrage Not sure too, but i remember back in those days every store had jcm2000s and also 6505s (because in that time came out) and people who had the chance to compare them the 6505 always won and the dsl/tsl range got somehow lost in the marketing. Or maybe its just a trend and people realized that the gain and saturation of the dsl/tsl range is plenty enough even for live usage to play metal.
i have played both, i'd take a new 20 watt over an original DSL every day. they're not the same amps anymore
the neumann TLM102 sounds amazing with this amp